Volusia council sets budget goal

Friday

Jan 21, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 15, 2012 at 12:09 PM

WILL HOBSON, Staff writer

DELAND -- Fearful of the potential impact of Gov. Rick Scott's plans to slice the state budget, the Volusia County Council on Thursday approved setting a more moderate savings goal for next year's budget than the council set in 2010.

The council and county staff will try to trim $5 million from the general-fund budget this year, after cutting $23 million in 2010, and will use a "credit system" to keep track of cuts made in case a slashed state budget leaves some local agencies in dire need of county assistance.

The council also approved staff's recommendation to pay off $8 million in debt this year, a decision that will increase general-fund spending this year but save money in the future.

"I think we have to be very frugal this year . . . and be careful in how we all respond to what we think is, frankly, Armageddon coming down the road from the Legislature," Councilwoman Pat Northey said in agreeing with the $5 million goal County Manager Jim Dinneen proposed.

Scott has proposed cutting billions from a state budget already facing a multibillion-dollar shortfall.

Dinneen conceded that cutting general-fund spending, which stood at $230.7 million entering Thursday, would be harder to accomplish in 2011.

"The smaller we get, in terms of budget, and the more we cut, the tougher it gets," Dinneen said.

He explained the budget credit idea as a way to keep track of potential cuts the council approves throughout the year. Then in September, when the council votes on the 2012 budget, (and when the local impact of cuts in Tallahassee should be clearer), the council can decide whether to apply those potential cuts, or credits, to trimming the budget. Or the council could opt to shift money to agencies affected by state budget cuts.

Dinneen suggested the Volusia County Health Department as a possible recipient of county money if its state funds are vastly cut, but Chairman Frank Bruno quickly listed a host of other agencies he felt were at risk, including local courts and jails.

"I think we're in trouble with the Legislature, to some degree," Bruno said.

The council approved spending $8 million this year to pay off debt on the Criminal Justice Information System. The payment this year will save $860,000 over the life of the loans that helped pay for the system. The council approved borrowing $16.8 million in December 2006 for the new system, which was to be paid off over 10 years.

Deputy County Manager Charlene Weaver also told the council the county's Community Redevelopment Agency payments will be lower than expected this year, and probably next year, thanks to dropping property values. The county had budgeted for $6.48 million on CRA funds, ad valorem the county collects then distributes to the various CRAs, for 2011, but that number fell to $4.96 million after the final tax rolls were certified.

Weaver said the council can count the roughly $1.5 million difference as part of its $5 million goal for 2012.

Also Thursday, the County Council:

· Approved an ordinance intended to clamp down on scrap metal thieves. The law bars metal recyclers throughout the county, including those in city limits, from paying cash (except in transactions of $50 or less) for any item covered by a list of 17 "suspect secondary metals." The list includes copper or aluminum stripped from heating and air-conditioning units, which local police agencies have reported stolen with increased frequency.

The law also requires anyone trying to sell any of the suspect metals to have proof of ownership, and requires metal recyclers to report any sales or attempted sales of such items to local police agencies by 10 a.m. the following day.